[mountaingirlbl]

hey mamas-
my family has run into a baby name dilemma. we don't know the gender of our baby and don't plan on naming him/her until after the birth. however, we have discussed several possibilities and like several tree names. the problem...my husband's last name is "mills." to me, tree mills, sounds like a tree processing plant. what do you think?

we've considered hyphenating the last name with mine and his, giving us tree lane-mills. does this still sound like a tree processing plant?

and then the big question...what about hyphenated last names? i never wanted to do this to myself and now question if it will be a pain in the butt for my child.

i'd love to hear what you mamas think.

blessings-

 

[EvolvingMama]

Hi Mountain Girl,

I love the idea of using tree names! I am imagining you mean names like Alder, Birch, Willow, Oak? I don't think that most people would make the connection with a name like that and the last name Mills. Alder Mills, Birch Mills....Willow Mills. If the name were something like Log or Pine, maybe! I think you're safe. But hyphenating with Lane is also nice because the names are short. My older child's last name is a similar hyphenated name and everyone is just used to it. Sometimes he uses just one, but that's his choice now, as he's 13.

 

[Norasmomma]

My friend just gave her son the middle name Oakley.

Oakley Mills sounds nice to me. For a girl Aspen Mills would be nice.

 

[Lisa1970]

I think the hyphenating is fine as both names are 1 syllable. His name will still only be average in length. I want to hyphenate ours, or combine them, but I have 2 syllables and he has 3 and we both have names that are clearly of a particular country background..but different ones. Irish and German. Yours are both English so they even go together well.

 

[avivaelona]

I think if you avoid tree names that are trees used in logging it would be ok but I would avoid Aspen for that reason as I'm pretty sure it is a name of a mill or paper company. Do a google search too and find out if there actually are any mills by that name. I think if you stick to the tree names that are commonly used as names too you will have less chance of it sounding silly. (Willow, Rowan, Hazel, Linden)

The other possibility is go with tree names from other languages where it won't be as immediately obvious.

Some Hebrew ones I happen to know:

Erez = Ceder
Oren = Pine
Tamar = Palm
Alon/Alona/Elon/Elona/Ilon/Ilona= Oak or Terebinth tree

If you do a search I'm sure you'll find others in many languages.

I don't have a problem with hyphenation but I don't think it in any way solves your issue. Treename Lane-Mills really is no better than Treename Mills or for that matter Treename Lane would be.

Good luck.

 

[mamarootoo]

love the tree name idea

i probably would make the Mills connection, but it's nothing i would have made fun of a kid for in school.

if you're concerned about the connection, you could use a name that has tree in the meaning... i don't know of any off the top of my head though... (really helpful, right?

)

Laura means crowned with laurels. Lila is a form of Lilac. see what i mean?

I think a lot more kids born now have hyphenated last names. when i was in school, 99% of the time it meant that the parents were divorced, but i don't think people will assume that when our kids are old enough to go to school. YKWIM?

 

[momma-molly]

I think you're okay. I'm pretty wierd about name associations and I don't think I would have put that together.

 

[EmmaJane]

We get a lot of kids with hyphenated names at the college where I teach, and "Lane-Mills" is the mildest I've ever seen.

Just two syllables! Really -- it's fine.

 

[To-Fu]

I love the hyphenation idea b/c then your baby has a piece of each of you equally, you know? And your names are so simple and nice-sounding together!

I agree with all the other suggestions for first names.

 

[kcparker]

You could also create a new last name by joining the surnames - MillsLane/Millslane or LaneMills/Lanemills. I have an acquaintance whose last name is NeuCollins from such a conjoining. Somehow, it feels shorter than if it were Neu-Collins.

Tree Mills sounds like a logging operation, but Cedar Mills or Aspen Mills, if anything, sounds like a place name, Cedar Mills Lane sounds like an address, and Cedar Lane Mills sounds like a mill located on Cedar Lane or an outlet mall, but adding a hyphen would take that connotation away.

Sometimes unusual extra meanings in names can be really wonderful and make the person memorable. Armand Hammer, Yogi Berra, Rip Torn...

 

[Brisen]

Personally, I think "Lane" is a bigger problem than "Mills." I see lots of streets named after the type of tree that grows around there... Pine Lane, Maple Lane, Oak Lane, etc. would all sound like a street name to me, and then with Mills on the end it would sound like a mill named for the street it was on. I don't know for sure that I would have noticed it if I hadn't been looking for, but that's what I think of when I hear it.

 

[Ceili]

I'd be wary of any noun-type first name with either of your last names. A lot of them end up sound like the names of subdivisions/street names/malls/cities/etc.

 

[Talula Fairie]

Unless you hyphenate the last name, any tree name sounds to me like a company name of some kind, not a person's name.

 

[mountaingirlbl]

So I've digested all the advice and comments about the name. Thank you! I think we're going to have to move away from noun-type names. This stresses me out somewhat, as I was feeling such a connection with the name Cedar and the baby in my womb. But Cedar Lane and Cedar Mills both sound like places. And I don't think I want to hyphenate. I'm just too simple of a person and this would drive me crazy. Now I'm completely clueless on what to name the babe and for some reason that stresses me out. I'm 32 weeks, so I have a little time, but still...

 

[avivaelona]

You could put Cedar in the middle where he won't use it with his last name every day. Or see above...Erez is a Hebrew name meaning Cedar. Good luck, I hope you find something that you love.

 

[belltree]

Instead of hyphenating you could also come up with a "new" middle name, from lane and mills. Lills, Millane, etc.

 

[bemommy]

Yes, I love the tree names, but with Mills or Lane they do sound like places or companies (paper or furniture mostly). But I do think it would work to have a tree middle name.